Spraying disinfectant on migrants a criminal act: AAP

In a video on social media, the migrants can be seen waiting in queues for medical screening outside a school in Lajpat Nagar, ahead of boarding a Shramik Special train, on Friday. They were sprayed with disinfectant by SDMC workers during a sanitisation drive.

In a tweet, the AAP said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been consistently misbehaving with the poor workers during this Covid-19 crisis. "The BJP-ruled MCD's behaviour with workers is bound to raise questions that the BJP doesn't consider the poor workers as human beings," the AAP said.

Terming it a criminal act by the MCD, AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha said, "Spraying of disinfectant on people can lead to irritation of eyes, skin and potentially gastrointestinal effects, like nausea and vomiting. Inhalation of sodium hypochlorite can lead to irritation of membranes of nose, throat, respiratory tract and cause bronchospasm," he said.

The SDMC, however, said the school was in a residential colony and there was huge demand from residents for disinfecting the compound and the road.

"Due to the pressure of the jetting machine, the worker could not manage it for some moments. The staff has been instructed to be more careful and attentive while doing the job. The official present at the site apologised to the public," SDMC said.

The Union Health Ministry had said in April that spraying chemical disinfectant was "physically and psychologically harmful" for humans.